


chance encounter

by feeniecchi



Series: Bylad and the lads [6]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: (kinda.... subtle love confession), Black Eagles Sylvain Jose Gautier, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles Route Spoilers, Guilt, Heart-to-Heart, Love Confessions, M/M, Male My Unit | Byleth, Not Beta Read
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:40:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21552445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feeniecchi/pseuds/feeniecchi
Summary: On a cold night before the march to Arianrhod, Sylvain meets an equally lost soul on the bridge to the cathedral.
Relationships: Sylvain Jose Gautier/My Unit | Byleth
Series: Bylad and the lads [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1443460
Comments: 2
Kudos: 72





	chance encounter

**Author's Note:**

>   
> mood for this piece: [FE Three Houses OST - 70. A Place to Rest](https://youtu.be/dCk4XYUli0s)

Sylvain rarely finds himself in need of prayer. He wasn't a holy man by any means but from time to time he would bask in the silence that filled the run-down cathedral to catch some peace at midnight to early morning hours.  
  
  


Ironic, wasn't it?  
  
  
  
Here he was fighting for a cause that opposed the existence of a goddess and yet he decided to pray his worries away before they marched to Arianrhod, back to his homeland Faerghus.   
  
  
  
  
Goddess, Sylvain was tired.   
  
  
  
  
He was tired of this war, tired of killing his old classmates and friends.   
  
He was tired of not know who will die or who will be lucky enough to live for another day.  
  
Ever since this damned war started over 5 years ago, Sylvain felt cold to his bones.  
  
Let it be the guilt of betraying Dimitri and his homeland or the bloodshed that the Empire left behind, no matter how much he bundled up in layers he simply wouldn't warm up.   
  
Shivers and chills seeping into his chest and goosebumps blooming across his skin became a daily occurrence.   
He didn't regret his choice of fighting for Edelgard.   
Well, it was more fighting for Byleth and a world without crests if anything but he stood firmly by this decision.  
  
  
  
  
Yet being aware of that didn't help him with his troubled mind and freezing body.  
  
  
  
  
So, as ironic as it was, Sylvain decided to make his way over to the old church in the middle of the night to have some quiet and serene moments to himself.  
Since he didn't plan on staying long, Sylvain decided not to bother with putting on his regular ensemble and walked to his destination at the leisurely pace.   
  
  
  
  
Not that putting on any more layers would actually help.  
  
  
  
  
Clad without his armor and fur coat, he felt the cold breeze grazing his bare hands and a twist of homesickness in his chest.   
Whilst it never got as cold as in Faerghus, the sudden drop in temperature at Garreg Mach still seemed to manage to make Sylvain shiver once or twice.  
So Sylvain did not expect to meet another soul during this freezing night, much less to cross paths with the professor on the bridge between Monastery and the cathedral.  
  
  
  
  
The man dressed in dark gray was standing against the stone railings of the bridge with his hand placed on top of the cold surface with his gaze directed down at the dark nothingness that rested underneath their feet.  
  
  
  
Byleth truly was as beautiful as ever.  
  
  
  
  
Standing under the bright moonlight, his minty hair shone brightly as it slightly swayed in the wind.  
Pale eyelashes brushing his cheeks as his equally mint-colored eyes closed.  
  
He looked so... divine.  
  
Sylvain felt the hot flush of embarrassment crawl up his neck at his own cheesy description of the tactician's looks.  
  
  
  
Damn, Sylvain had it bad.  
  
  
  
The sound of his armored steps echoed loudly in Sylvain's ears as he walked over to Byleth, who most certainly was aware of him and yet continued to stare down at the abyss underneath the stone bridge.  
“Professor! What is such a handsome man doing up so late on this lovely night? ” Sylvain's tired yet cheery voice broke the silence as he stepped beside the former professor.  
“Sylvain,” he simply said, acknowledging his presence with a nod but kept his eyes steady at the dark nothingness underneath their feet.  
For a moment both said nothing, just standing together on this chilly night as the moon illuminated both men through clear skies.  
  
  
  
“I could ask you the same,” Byleth muttered and looked upwards to gaze at the starry night sky.  
Sylvain gave a tiny chuckle.  
“Well, I did ask first but since I'm that much of a nice guy I guess I will comply.”   
The redhead saw Byleth looking at him out of the corner of his eye with a tiny twitch tugging his lips into the faintest smile.  
Sylvain's own formed into a grin.  
  
  
  
Score.  
  
  
  
“I know, I know. I should drop the act at least around you, sorry,” he sort of mumbled as his hazel eyes directed their own attention to the bright stars hanging up in the sky. His grin turned into a soft smile.  
After a beat of silence, Sylvain continued to talk.  
“I came here to pray, you know. I'm not a holy man but... Sometimes it's good to get things off your chest,” he simply stated and placed his naked hands on the stone railing. He hoped that the last part was enough to nudge the former professor to speak his troubled mind.  
  
  
  
Once again they stood next to each other quietly.  
  
  
  
“Do I... really seem so troubled? ” The smaller man mumbled with furrowed brows as he looked at his bare hands.  
Just now Sylvain realized that the other male was missing his armor and gloves. He stepped closer without thinking about it, hoping that it might give the poor tactician some warmth.  
He stayed silent as he watched Byleth's face twist and deepen its frown as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.  
“Sometimes...” The smaller man started hesitantly. “Sometimes I come here when the guilt and fear become too much to bear.”   
Byleth's voice gradually started to waver as he turned his face away.  
His hands that have turned red from the cold gripped at the stony surface with their knuckles turning pale.  
  
  
  
He looked away once more before he continued to speak.  
  
  
  
“I feel this heavy sense of guilt. Of making you all fight against your homeland... Your friends and old classmates– ” Sylvain opened his mouth to retort that they all chose to be here but Byleth raised a hand to keep him from talking.  
“They try to tell me that they don't regret it, fighting for this cause but then... But then they tell me that they followed me because they trust me and my decision to pick this path. As though they just joined this army simply because I simply chose to. And talk about old times and their families back home. ”  
  
  
  
  
Byleth released a shaky breath and wrapped his arms around himself.  
  
  
  
  
“Is it selfish of me to be glad, Sylvain? That despite everything I do not have to meet every single student with the tip of my blade? ”   
The redhead heard Byleth's voice tremble more and more with every word that he spoke, the other's bottom lip bitten in agony as he finally stopped talking and his usually bright eyes became dull with guilt.  
  
  
  
Byleth looked at his feet again, trying to escape Sylvain's own watchful eyes.  
  
  
  
“Professor...” Sylvain muttered as he watched the usually so composed man try to curl up into himself, his fingers itching with the need to reach out and comfort the struggling man.  
  
Seeing him so vulnerable...   
  
  
  
He felt a shiver run down his spine.  
  
  
  
Just how long had he had been holding this in to seek solace in the silent and dark night?  
  
Then again, Sylvain himself wasn't much different, wasn't he?  
  
  
  
“I– Well, I can't speak for everyone but...” Sylvain scratched the back of his head before cupping it with both of his hands as his hazel eyes stared up at the moon.   
“I'm happy with my decision. It isn't easy fighting against faces that you know but...   
I'm fighting for a future where everyone is free to be whoever they want to be. I and so many others will be free of the heavy burden that crests bear. And– Well... Ah, never mind.”  
  
  
  
  
_'I'm happy to be by your side'_ was what he was about to say but for some reason the thought alone of voicing it out loud made his ears flush bright red.  
  
Sylvain saw Byleth looking at him with one raised eyebrow and one arm underneath his chest as his other hand curled up against his chin, the knuckle of his index finger just barely touching the cold skin.  
  
  
  
Great, now he was thinking about what he was about to say a few moments ago.  
  
  
  
Sylvain groaned internally about his little slip-up.  
  
Despite being known for loving to whisper sweet little nothings, being honest with his feelings truly put him into a state of panic.  
It wasn't as though he was denying his... feelings of affection for the smaller male, it was just difficult to put into words.   
  
Right in front of him.  
  
With his eyes staring into his very own soul.  
  
  
  
Well, it was now or never.  
  
  
  
“You know, I meant it– What I said back then, about being truly happy after a long time once I saw your face after all those years again.”  
Suddenly not knowing what to do with his hands, he placed one on his hips whilst the other was alternating between nervously combing through his hair and scratching his scalp.  
  
  
  
“Did you now?” Sylvain heard the slightly amused tone in the tactician's voice and felt his stomach churn in regret for having laid out his feelings so painfully bare for anyone, especially Byleth, to see.  
  
And in this case Byleth seeing his honest feelings was enough to make him want to hurl himself of this bridge and finally find some peace where Ingrid wouldn't be able to nag and Felix wouldn't kick his ass for whatever reason he found plausible at the moment anymore.  
Oh no, he would never able to look him in the eyes again.   
Where was he going to go now? Back home? Goddess, his father is going to-  
  
  
  
“I'm glad since... I feel the same.”  
Sylvain's head snapped in the direction of the former professor and was met with bright and crinkled eyes and an even brighter smile that just slightly showed the white of his teeth, the tip of his nose and cheeks red from the cold.  
  
  
  
Most likely not only from that.  
  
  
  
Sylvain felt his heart skip a beat at the sight.  
  
  
  
Felt his chest grow warm and tight at that stunning sight. His brain was full of static noise and his breathing quickened as he couldn't tear his eyes away from the man in front of him-  
  
Oh, Goddess, was he about to experience a heart atta–  
  
Suddenly he felt weight against his shoulder, shaking him out of his spiraling mind.  
  
  
  
  
“Thank you, Sylvain,” Byleth muttered into the turquoise fabric of his clothing and Sylvain himself felt his body lose the tension that he has been holding for all those years as he wrapped his arms around the other's waist and pulled him closer to his chest.   
  
  
  
“Of course.”  
  
  
  
_ 'Anything for you' _  
  
  
  
  
Byleth put his arms around the redhead's middle and buried his face in the crook of Sylvain's neck, his warm breath tickling his skin as he relaxed in the lance wielder's arms.  
  
Finally, the Goddess's vessel found at least some peace.  
  
  
  
  
And Sylvain?  
  
  
  
  
Despite being barely dressed in the middle of the cold night?  
  
  
  
  
He finally felt warm.

**Author's Note:**

>   
>  im a simple sylvain fucker and apologist
> 
> this fic is basically a tiny vent bc cf made me super guilty the first time i played it and now that i replayed it (for jeritza) with recruited units it made me feel even worse, thanks intsys
> 
> ~~also i was totally not tearing up while writing this bc a place to rest makes me very emotional~~
> 
> come yell at me on my [tumblr](https://feeniecchi.tumblr.com) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/Feeniecchi)!! :))


End file.
